Woman held as slave, feds say

Aurora couple facing charges

Aurora - An Aurora couple were indicted Thursday, accused of enslaving an Indonesian woman in their home for four years, forcing her to cook and clean without pay.

The husband also is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting the woman, records show.

Residents of the well-kept neighborhood where Homaidan Al-Turki and Sarah Khonaizan lived with their four children said a team of heavily armed police surrounded the house and took the couple into custody last week.

Federal indictments handed up Thursday accuse the couple of keeping the woman in servitude to care for their children and perform other domestic chores without paying her.

She was intimidated with "aggravated sexual abuse," the indictment said. Al-Turki faces numerous sexual-assault charges in connection with the case, according to court records.

The Denver Post is withholding the name of the alleged victim because of the nature of the allegations.

A woman who lives across the cul-de-sac from the family said the couple were from Saudi Arabia and that the husband owned an Islamic bookstore. The neighbor said that many people would come and go from the house, in the 2000 block of South Joliet Court.

"They pretty much stayed to themselves," said the neighbor, Diana Zettlemoyer.

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"The curtains are always drawn. You don't see much of what's going on."

Another neighbor said it was difficult to identify women around the house because most wore traditional Muslim clothing that concealed all but their eyes. However, she came to realize that a woman who would shovel snow out of the family's driveway was not the wife.

"Occasionally, there would be another woman who didn't seem like a sister shoveling snow," said the neighbor, who asked not to be identified. "It was not the mother."

Vicki Lisman, who also lives in the cul-de-sac, said an agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had been canvassing the neighborhood.

She too was surprised to learn that another woman lived in the house.

"That just blows me away," Lisman said.

The indictment says Al-Turki, 36, and Khonaizan, 35, confiscated the woman's passport and visa, and forced her to work for them over a four-year period ending in November 2004.

A source close to the investigation said the woman lived in their basement while she was serving the family but that she now is living with friends.

Federal authorities are attempting to confiscate $92,700 from the couple's bank accounts, an amount authorities estimate the couple saved by not paying the woman for her work, the indictment said.

Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Colorado, declined to reveal how authorities became aware of the woman's situation.

John Richilano, lawyer for Al-Turki, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Jennifer Gedde, who represents Khonaizan, declined to comment on the charges, beyond saying they are "simply allegations."

Al-Turki and Khonaizan were in custody Thursday and face charges that could result in life imprisonment.

Rockies are on pace to lose 93 games this seasonThe Rockies lost three of four in St. Louis and are on pace to lose 93 games as they come home for a three-game series with Seattle before going back on the road again to face Washington.